"Don" wrote in
:

"EXT" wrote
I have observed over a number of years that the building code, while
it is to set structurally good minimum standards, is often a
compromise between the standards committee and large mass builders.
If you want to beef up an area of the code for whatever reason, the
builders will demand a reduction is another area to keep costs down.
I have seen areas in our local code where the standards have been
reduced to cut costs.

Thats not the case in SW FL where the costs of code compliance are
continuously rising, in some cases dramatically.
Probably the most expensive one in recent years was the requirement
for *200mph* windows, or shutters on all exterior openings.

THis is off onto a tangent, but, can shutters or some other sort of
hurricane shield be installed onto a brick exterior? I saw saomething
in Lowes that uses permanent bolts put into the brick as anchors for a
new sort of "fabric", or at least, pliable material. No pricing psoted
of course. But I don;t know how actual "shutters" could be installed
over/in brick...


No builder, regardless of size, can escape that requirement.
The cheap builders (tract homes) opt for the removeable shutters but
many of their homeowners are lazy and install the shutters at the
beginning of hurricane season and leave them on for the next 5 months.
This has caused issues with the fire depts and is dangerous as they
block *code required* egress windows on sleeping rooms.

I thought those things were motorized, or at least, functioned sort-of
like roll-up blinds... Wouldn't leaving them closed keep all the light
out of a house shudder...?